Maruti Suzuki has re-entered the mid-size SUV space in India, which it vacated back in 2013 when it discontinued its Grand Vitara. It is back with the latest 2022 Grand Vitara to take on other rivals such as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, and MG Astor.

The Grand Vitara is a heavily reworked version of the European Grand Vitara and is developed in partnership with Toyota India. The Grand Vitara comes with a strong hybrid powertrain, which comprises a petrol mill, an electric motor, and a battery, which is its major USP. No other mid-size SUV in the price segment comes with this hybrid tech apart from the recently launched Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which is essentially the same car under the skin.

What Drives The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid?

Toyota India has been rebadging Maruti Suzuki cars and selling them under its banner in India for some time now. This time around, it returns the favor by providing the Hybrid powertrain to Maruti-Suzuki for its Grand Vitara. The Toyota 1500cc three-cylinder engine runs on the Atkinson cycle and produces about 91 BHP and 122 Nm torque. The internal combustion engine is married to an electric motor that churns out 79 BHP and 141 Nm of torque. The hybrid powertrain produces a combined power output of 115 BHP and is paired to an e-CVT gearbox.

Unlike EVs, you don’t have to charge the battery of this vehicle, as the battery gets recharged automatically via the petrol engine and brake energy regeneration. Maruti claims a massive 27.97 km/l fuel efficiency for a car which is over 4.3 meters in length. Given the 45 liters tank capacity of the car, you can expect a realistic range between 1000km to 1100km from a tankful of gas. After simple calculations, the running cost comes to around ₹4.5 per kilometer.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid: Design, Features

The Maruti-Suzuki Grand Vitara measures 4345mm in length, 1795mm in width and 1645mm in height. It is one of the longest cars in the category and comes with a 2600mm wheelbase. The Hybrid SUV stands tall with a massive 208mm ground clearance. Due to the electric battery eating into the trunk, it is left with a 373-liter boot space, which is lower than its non-hybrid version.

The Maruti-Suzuki Grand Vitara takes design cues from the recently updated international Suzuki S-Cross. Going with the trend it gets LED DRLs at the top with a tri-LED pattern. The headlight assemblies are placed on the bumper. It gets a big grille and a thick chrome strip holding the Suzuki logo. The Grand Vitara has a muscular front-end and it continues at the side with a prominent shoulder line. The wheel arches get minimal black plastic cladding for a rugged appeal.

At the rear, the car comes with a connected tail-lamp design with a tri-LED pattern which gives it a wide stance. The rear bumper is identical to the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which gets a big silver finished skid plate.

Coming to its interiors, it comes with a black and brown color theme. There are plenty of soft-touch materials on the dashboard and door side panels for a premium look and feel. The steering wheel is a typical Maruti-Suzuki one but it’s not a D-cut wheel.

In terms of creature comforts, it gets a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control, a 360-degree camera, ventilated seats, wireless charging, ambient light, and a tyre pressure monitor, among others. Safety features include ESP, hill-hold assist, connected car tech, and six airbags.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid: Price

The Maruti Grand Vitara Hybrid version comes in only the Zeta+ and Alpha+ variants, which are priced at ₹17.99 lakhs and ₹19.49 lakhs ex-showroom, Delhi. Maruti Suzuki is throwing away an extended warranty of 5 years/1,00,000 km and a genuine Nexa accessory pack worth over ₹67,000 as introductory offers. If the brand is to be believed, it has garnered over 53,000 bookings for the car.

Best Mobiles in India